Mr Brightside
by Nekkun
Summary: He will always be there for Glen: they're best friends. And even if it hurts, Jack will smile. He knows things will never change between them. But sometimes, Jack dreams about what could be, and he hates Glen for doing this.
1. Seed

Jack walked along the stone path in the garden. The sun warmed his back, a cool breeze drifted over him every so often, and the air was heavy with the scent of exotic flowers. He loved days like this. Being stuck indoors listening to lectures drove him crazy. Of course he knew he had to learn all the rules that went with nobility, but as nobles went, the Vessalius family wasn't regarded very highly.

In fact, they were sort of a joke among the other families.

He didn't mind that much anymore. Many of his friends, although higher in rank than he was, wished that they were even higher on the food chain. But not him. Jack found his life pleasant enough, especially now that he was eighteen and free from tutoring. Besides, wealth couldn't buy happiness.

The Baskervilles were enough proof of that.

Normally, a family like his couldn't get anywhere near such high ranking members of society like the Baskervilles, but his father had been friends with Lord Baskerville when they had been children. Now the Vessalius family visited the Baskervilles every spring.

Even so, Jack didn't know any more about them than a commoner did.

Something red caught his attention, disrupting his thoughts on how unfair the class system was. An apple loomed up above him. All of the fruit had already been picked weeks ago, or so he had thought. Interesting. Even the Baskervilles didn't have perfect servants.

Not thinking twice, he began to climb the tree. The bark scratched his palms as he shimmied up the trunk, but it didn't hurt. Jack loved being in high places. Sitting up in a tree and watching unsuspecting people walk by, then scaring them by laughing suddenly, was always fun.

He perched on a branch and reached up for the apple.

Damn. Missed it by centimetres. Just needed to stretch a little further...

"What are you doing?"

A man Jack had never seen before stared up at him. He felt like this man—no, maybe not quite a man, in his late teens— looked more like a painting than a human being. Violet eyes, dark hair, the palest skin he had ever seen. The black overcoat he wore seemed old fashioned.

Jack forced himself to look away from that arresting gaze.

Of course the guy was human, not a watercolour illusion.

He had gotten way too much sun.

Jack gestured at the red fruit. "I'm getting that."

"You climbed up there to get an apple?"

"Don't say it like _that_," Jack huffed. "You're making my mission seem stupid."

"It is stupid. You can easily buy all the apples you want at the market."

"I want _this_ one."

"Five year olds shouldn't be allowed to run around unsupervised."

"I'm eighteen, smartass," Jack retorted. "Who _are_ you, anyway?"

"You must be a new servant. I'm Glen."

Jack nearly fell out of the tree, but managed to keep his balance.

"Servant?" He felt his temperature rising. "You're the one who looks like you stole that coat from a beggar. I'll have you know that I'm Jack Vessalius. I'm a noble, and maybe my family isn't that well-known, but don't you dare call me a ser—"

Glen laughed.

Jack didn't know how to react, but he knew he hadn't said anything funny. Had he?

"You need to lose that superior attitude of yours," Glen said. "There is nothing wrong with being a servant. I have nothing but the highest respect for mine."

Jack flushed crimson.

God, now that he thought about it, he had sounded pretentious.

"You're right." He held his hands up. "Sometimes I speak without thinking."

The dark haired man didn't say anything.

"It's just that, I've been made fun of a lot for being a Vessalius, which people said is no better than being a servant, really, and—" Jack felt his voice waver slightly and he told himself to shut up, but the words continued tumbling out of him. "God, I really thought this didn't bother me anymore. But I guess it does. I mean, I'm just here for a _visit_. I'll never have the same status as the Baskervilles. Sometimes...I think it would be easier if I had been born into their family instead."

At Glen's continued silence, he immediately wanted to take it all back or make a joke.

But some old wound inside him still festered.

He couldn't bring himself to smile.

"Jack..."

He jerked his head up in surprise and bashed his skull on a branch in the process.

This time he couldn't keep his balance.

Instead of slamming into the ground, breaking every bone in his body in the process, he found the impact shielded by something. By someone. Glen had ended up as Jack's mattress. He gawked at him, vaguely feeling a throbbing pain on top of his head.

"God, I'm sorry! I'm a tree climbing expert, _really_! This is my first time fall—"

Glen smiled, and in that moment, became fully human.

He was beautiful.

"I think you protest way too much," Glen said. "Can I get up?"

Jack practically catapulted to his feet, feeling a curious blend of embarrassment and something that he couldn't quite place. He offered Glen a hand but was declined with a small shake of the head. At this close distance, Jack could see that the jacket was made of some expensive looking fabric.

And it was torn along the side.

"I'll pay for it," Jack said. "I'm really sorry."

"Why? It's just a homeless man's jacket, after all."

Jack laughed despite himself. So the guy could make jokes. And smile.

"Seriously, I will." He gritted his teeth. "H...how much is it worth?"

"Everything the Vessalius family owns. It's an heirloom."

Jack didn't have time to wonder why Glen possessed such an item. If he had, he would have been able to put two and two together. But panic overtook him, shutting down all the problem solving skills of his brain.

"Oh. Oh, _sh_—"

Glen pointed at the apple. "But I'd like that instead."

"Got it!" Jack leaped on this chance. "Give me a second."

He never knew, but Glen smiled the whole time Jack was getting the apple for him.

The seed of friendship had been planted.

* * *

_A/N: Goddamn, this was supposed to be a oneshot but there will probably be a couple more chapters. I have plans for what is supposed to happen. These involve my theories...haha. But, yay? My first time writing about Jack and Glen. These two characters are ~mysterious~! Especially a certain Baskerville. D: So their personalities are loosely based on what I've seen in the manga more than anything concrete. As you see here, they behaved somewhat differently in their teens. If you enjoyed it, I'm glad~ Review/critique if you're up to it, but I'm satisfied with people simply reading. :)_


	2. Growth

Everyone thought he was a cheerful person. As the youngest son of the Vessalius family, he found it necessary to be that way. His two brothers outshone him in every department that mattered in the noble world. Once, when Richard had been accepted into the most prestigious school in Sablier, Jack remembered going outside and staying there all night. Crying, though he knew it was a childish thing to do, even at the age of twelve. In that moment, when his parents had beamed at his brother and lavished praise on him, Jack knew that they would never look at him that way. He would always be the joke of the family. The kid who teased the servants, few as they had, and laughed during moments that were supposed to be serious. The kid who only had his looks going for him, and even then he was too pretty for a boy.

He snuck out of the house that night. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he decided that he would surprise them all one day. Be a hero. No one noticed his absence until he returned in the morning. But by then, he had willed himself to appear carefree at all costs. Life had gone as normal. Full of happy moments, full of sad moments he smiled through.

_Oh, that Jack Vessalius_, people said. _Always sees things on the bright side._

But now that had changed because of his Glen Baskerville.

After retrieving the apple for Glen, the dark haired young man told him that he was the only son of the Baskervilles, but he rarely came home. The news was shared in the most offhand way, as if talking about the weather. He had stared into those violet eyes, feeling like a rabbit caught in a snare, heart thudding. No one told him that the powerful family had a son. He didn't think anyone knew. But Jack managed to cope by whacking Glen on the shoulder and running off.

Jack wanted to play tag, but the apple hit him in his back courtesy of his new friend.

Apparently Glen had no understanding of the game.

The two of them still teased each other about it weeks later.

This had been the greatest summer of his life.

"What's the matter with you?" Glen stared at him from the mahogany table. "Your face has gone through several odd contortions. It's rather disturbing seeing you grinning and frowning to yourself. I'm trying to write something."

Jack jolted upright on the couch. "Write what?"

"If I wanted you to know I would have clarified."

"Oh." He slumped back into the cushions. "You're so cruel."

"I'm not the person who spilled paint everywhere and gave the servants extra work."

"You know that was an accident!"

"You should be locked up in a tower somewhere."

"Why?" Jack asked.

"If you're so accident-prone it will help keep everyone safe." Just as Jack was about to rage, a smile appeared on Glen's face, stopping him in his tracks. "It will keep _you_ safe, most importantly."

The sudden way Jack's heart thudded in his chest unnerved him.

"I'm a Vessalius. We get into trouble, but we always make it out okay in the end."

"You're either a fool or full of untapped genius."

"A compliment?" Jack bounded over to him. "The world is ending, isn't it!"

"Never mind, you're definitely a fool."

"No I'm—" He caught sight of the paper on the table. "Music?"

"It's none of your business."

Jack ignored the sudden coldness. "I love music. I've tried writing some of my own, but it's terrible. What I'm really good at is making things. You know, like watches and—"

"I don't care." Glen gathered his papers. "If you'll excuse me."

And then he walked out of the room without another word. Jack watched him go, not sure what the hell just happened. Glen was a rather secretive person; he had been working on making him feel more comfortable. Apparently the Baskervilles had encouraged him to be self-reliant since he would be the heir to everything when he turned twenty. That was only a year away. Glen seemed to think relying on others was a sign of weakness. But had Jack seeing some of his music really been something so terrible?

He took Glen's seat at the table, surprised to still find it warm.

The man was like an ice sculpture so signs of his humanity were a shock.

Jack buried his face in his arms, wondering whether they were even friends.

What he thought of Glen didn't matter. It didn't matter how much he cared if Glen didn't want to believe it or trust him. The clock in the room seemed to be making too much noise. He couldn't hear himself think. Jack's fingers itched to take it apart but he didn't want to get up. Not his property anyway, like the Vessalius family needed any more problems. Ruining the Baskerville's clock would make sure their name was erased in the world of nobility. When he saw Glen he'd promise to never mention the subject of his music. He'd tell him...he'd tell him that he...

Jack's head pounded as he slowly came to. Somehow, between thinking of Glen and listening to the incessant chiming of the clock, he had fallen asleep. His neck felt stiff and his cheek was sore from pressing it against the table. He blinked, finding it difficult to make anything out. It had to be eight in the evening at the earliest since the sun didn't set until then during these warm months. And then he noticed that someone was there.

He winced as he turned his head to the right.

Darkness blended into darkness, but...

"Glen?"

"Only you could manage to fall asleep like that."

Jack propped himself onto his elbows. "That's me, the fool."

"Hardly."

"Listen." He took a breath. "About earlier..."

"You don't need to say anything. I reacted strangely."

"I should've respected your privacy. I'm sor—"

"Jack."

He had never heard his named spoken with so much sorrow.

Then he couldn't think anything at all because Glen's lips were on his. How strange. How strange and yet how perfect. The two of them like this in the dark, barely able to see one another. In the daylight this would be unacceptable. Jack wished he could see his friend clearly and know him. But he wished even more that this wasn't a dream.

He wanted more, so much more, but Glen pulled away first.

"So we're really friends, then," Jack managed. "Good. Great."

"You could say that." A flicker of a smile. "I'm the one who's sorry."

"For this?"

"No. For not trusting you earlier. For not caring enough."

"Share your music whenever you want to."

"This is impossible."

"It's okay," Jack said, unable to decipher the sadness in Glen's voice. "This thing between us is a little strange, but I've never been happier. Of course we can't let anyone know, but as long as we're together, we'll—"

"Summer's almost over." The longest pause in the world. "You've been dreading that too, haven't you?"

Unable to speak, Jack pulled him into a hug. Glen returned the embrace after a moment's hesitation. They held one another, each with their own thoughts. But morning would come whether they wanted it to or not. They were unable to ever be together. That's just the way the world was. Even if they tried, what did it matter? Maybe it could happen, but their families were on different levels. They were both males. The Baskervilles would want Glen to carry on their genes by having children.

Every day they had left would be precious, bittersweet, until the moment came.

The moment Jack found the Baskerville mansion fading into the distance from his carriage.

If they had only been friends, not whatever they were now, would it hurt less?

* * *

* * *

_A/N: Angst is delicious, isn't it? ;__; I hope I can update more often. I've been a little lazy, not to even mention the problems in my life. Sigh. But reviews are loved! Are you a fan of Jack and Glen? That's amazing, because these two need more support. This story will continue until I feel like I've wrapped it up. Thank you all for reading and being wonderful~_


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